Grammar School - The International Wizarding School Championship
by Liz Jean Tonks
Summary: A collection of Short Stories and Drabbles, chapter 1 featuring Hermione and her struggles with leaving her family./chapter 2: Draco and Luna have a conversation.
1. Hermione, off to Hogwarts

Part of The International Wizarding School Championshi, Grammar School

Task: Complex sentences

* * *

Hermione Granger was standing at the open window, her eyes gazing into the distance. The fear, overshadowed by pretended joy, was growing bigger and bigger. Fear of leaving her parents, her home, everything that had meant something to her, everything that was important in her life. Things were starting to become fragile even before she actually left this place, so how would it feel when she was on the train, on her way far away from home? She imagined her sitting in a compartment, all alone, her parents fading into the distance, off to a place she didn't know, into a world she didn't know, where she would have to find new friends.

And finding friends could be so hard when you're alone. Hermione turned away from the window, wiped over her teary face and tried to concentrate on something else.

There was loads of new stuff to learn. Surely conjuring spells and learning a new culture would be more than pleasant, the mere thought of using her wand made her hands twitch. Noticing she had been longing and dreading the 1st of September ever since she got her letter, Hermione sat down on her bed and picked up a book, thoughtfully.

There were so many things to consider. Of course she had been more than thrilled and willing to accept the offer of going to a wizard school, but now, a month later, realizing what this really meant, she started having seconds thoughts, she started overthinking her decision... All her friends, or rather the people that were the closest to friends to her, and herself, they had been planning to build a study group once they attended to Secondary School, and although Hermione generally preferred studying alone, she had happily agreed. Now they were mad at her for not keeping her promise, since Hermione had told them her parents had decided to sent her to boarding school. They weren't supportive at all, teasing her about having to go away whilst everyone could stay at home, sleeping in their known bed...

Hermione felt getting sadder again, if only she knew it was the right thing to go away, go to wizard school... Probably everyone at school knew each other, she might be the only Muggle-born, the outsider, the friendless weirdo no one wanted to talk to – Hermione could imagine the scenario in front of her inner eye, everyone being able to perform spells without problems and her struggling with what was introduced in their books as "basic beginner level".

Hermione closed her eyes and thought of her parents. Her mother, who had tried to reassure her, saying that she needn't worry, and that they would always send her letters...

Of course, there was more than one good thing about going to Hogwarts: Hermione couldn't wait to discover the magical world, she wanted to be able to learn using magic, controlling it, since she had always found it striking she was capable of doing odd stuff but having no explanation for it. And the witch who had been here had seemed so nice, Hermione could hardly imagine her working at a dreadful place...

She decided she was going to be fine, spending her time reading and learning, that finding friends couldn't be so hard, and once they were found, she wouldn't miss her parents that much anymore... Hopefully.


	2. A Druna story

**A/N:** Written for:

_**Are you crazy enough to do it Challenge**_ \- 178. (dialogue) "Why do you always think that grades are the most important thing to you?" / "Because it shows who I am." / "No, it shows how smart you are. What shows who you are is how you act and how you treat others. Remember that in the future."

_**Nautical Pairings Forum – So not Canon  
**_Luna Lovegood and Draco Malfoy - S.S. Frozen Moonlight

_**Hogwarts Forum – Gym - **_**_Madam Pomfrey's Fun Fitness_**** \- ****_Treadmill  
_**"Why are you like this?"

_**IWSC - Grammar School Round 10 – Introducing a story  
**_Beauxbatons, Year 7  
Word Count: 716  
Techniques: Start your story with a question, Revisit the beginning once you reach the end

Set in the 5th year of Draco.

* * *

"Why are you like this?"

Luna looked at Draco, who had his face buried in his arms. Next to him lay a crumpled piece of parchment. It was late - nearly midnight - and Luna had spotted him sitting next to the Quidditch field as she had been on her way back to the school. She had noticed he was crying. Although Luna knew how Ginny talked about Draco, she had never disliked the boy very much. She wasn't prejudiced about anyone, not even the Malfoys. Draco had never been unkind to her – not more than the others, at least.

"What do you mean?" Draco mumbled, still not looking at her.

Luna picked up the parchment and looked at it. It was an essay Draco had written for Transfiguration and it had a red "D" on it.

"Why do you always think that grades are the most important thing?"

Draco looked up. Luna saw the pain in his eyes and it broke her heart.

"Because it shows who I am," he whispered.

Luna stared at him. Was this what he got told by his father? She had met Lucius Malfoy once with his son, and she had not liked him. Apparently he was strict, and if she compared him to her own father, he seemed downright harsh.

"No," she said. "No, it shows how smart you are. What shows who you are is how you act and how you treat others. Remember that in the future. Please."

Draco didn't seem convinced. He just shrugged. "Only Muggleborns get a Dreadful."

Luna was a bit shocked. She immediately thought of Hermione, who was in Draco's year as well. Ginny liked her a lot, and Luna thought she was quite nice.

"I don't think grades have anything to do with blood," she said calmly.

Draco looked at her and shrugged. "Why would you care about me, anyway?"

Luna blinked. "You're hurt," she said. "Doesn't your father care about you?"

Draco shrugged. "Yeah, he does," he mumbled. "He just..." He broke off.

"Yes?"

"Just forget it," he mumbled.

"Maybe you'd feel better if you told me," she said with a smile.

He hesitated a moment and then said, "It's just... grades are important to him. He wants me to be a good student, just like everyone in the family. I don't think any other Malfoy ever got something worse than 'Acceptable'. And he also wants me to be a good wizard, and being outstripped by Mud - by people whose blood isn't pure, that's dishonour."

Luna didn't know what to respond. "I'm sorry," she said.

He looked at her and shook his head. "No, you're not," he said, "you think that my father is simply wrong and that I am just like him."

"I guess it's hard to disagree with your parents," Luna said diplomatically.

"I don't disagree with him." Draco stared at his hands. "He's right."

But there was doubt in his voice, Luna noticed.

"You love him very much, don't you?" she asked.

Draco hesitated, then nodded. "Of course," he mumbled, "he's my father."

He sighed. "But my family – you know – they are hard to please, and he doesn't show his love openly, but he and Mother are the only people I've got and..."

There was another tear in his eye, and he looked away.

He must be very lonely, Luna thought suddenly.

"They love you," Luna said simply, "I am sure of that."

Draco just shrugged. "Too bad they are the only ones. And they'll be mad when they see how I'm failing at school."

"You're not failing," Luna said, "it was just one essay. And they wouldn't stop loving you just because of that." But she had to admit, she wasn't very sure of that.

But suddenly, she started to understand. You couldn't just be different from everyone else if you were part of the Malfoy family. You had to fit in, or else...

She shook her head sadly. It was clear to her that if Draco had been brought up by someone other than his parents, he would be a different person. But she also knew he wasn't a bad person. He just was the way he was, and if there were bad habits, they were no one's fault but his parents'.


	3. It was different with him

Grammar School – Round Five

School and Year: Mahoutokoro, Exchange Student

Topic: Flashback

Prompt: (_action) Waiting_

Word Count: 585

* * *

Lily was standing in front of the entrance of Honeydukes, nervously glancing at the clock. He was late. But that was expected. She took a deep breath and started pacing up and down. She looked down the street, but couldn't spot him anywhere. So she leaned against the wall of the shop and stayed there, waiting.

As her eyes wandered down the street she suddenly remembered how she stood here three years ago, when it had been one of her first times in Hogsmeade. She had been standing at the exact same spot and felt equally nervous. Only that _he_ hadn't kept her waiting as long.

Lily closed her eyes and before she knew it, her thoughts carried her back to that time.

* * *

He looked at her with shy eyes and nervously offered his hand. Lily laughed and took it.

"Don't be so nervous," she smiled.

"I'm not nervous."

She chuckled.

"Okay, maybe a little."

"For how long have we been knowing each other? Let's not make a big deal about it now."

"I know. I'm sorry. But everyone's acting like we're on a date or something."

"Aren't we?"

"I don't know." He nervously started fumbling with his jacket. "What do you think?"

She laughed again. "No, I don't think we are. That'd be weird. You're my best friend."

"And you're my best friend," he said quickly.

Lily pressed his fingers. It felt so good walking here with him. It felt like nothing in the world could part them, like their hands would always be holding onto each other. Like they were inseparable. By nothing and no one.

Especially not by themselves.

And maybe it had been a date after all. But to Lily and Severus, it didn't matter at the time. All that mattered was that they were together. Lily's heart felt so warm being here next to him.

A tear rolled down her cheek. Lily tried to stop it, but instead, there came even more tears.

"Hey, Lily, why are you crying?"

* * *

But it wasn't Sev's voice.

Lily opened her eyes. James was standing in front of her and looked at her in confusion. "Are you okay?"

Lily wiped her eyes. "Yes," she said quickly and looked down the road. She saw some other students from Hogwarts, but Severus wasn't among them. Of course he wasn't. He was probably in the castle with the students he called his friends. Lily swallowed and wiped her eyes before more tears would come.

James looked at her unsure. Lily forced a laugh. "Come on," she said. "Where do you want to go first?"

James looked around. "How about Honeydukes?" he suggested.

Lily nodded and together they entered the shop. James hadn't taken her hand, so Lily shoved it in her pocket.

James started to talk about Quidditch, but Lily couldn't really focus on what he was saying. She remembered what Sev and she had been talking about. It had been so different with him.

Of course it had been. Lily straightened up and concentrated on the boy next to him. She had to let the past be the past and move on. That was why she was seeing James now, wasn't it?

But even though he walked right next to her, he seemed to be so far away.

Severus had been so close.

But as they left the shop and walked down the street, James took her hand.

And once more she felt her heart getting warm.


End file.
